Application of Swath Profiles in the interference of different erosion potentials in drainage basins

Abstract

Introduction: The morphogenesis of the relief in the Southeast region of Brazil is the result of
various tectonic efforts on its surface over time, with emphasis on the Brasiliano orogeny in the
Precambrian and the Continental Rift of Southeast Brazil in the Cenozoic. The lithostructure of
this complex geological substrate conditions the formation of local base levels in river channels
by promoting differential erosion of the relief. Objectives: This paper investigates the distinct
erosive potentials of the Minerva River basin, located in the middle valley of the Paraíba do Sul
River, through the application of the Swath Profile tool. Methods: Swath profiles were applied to
drainage channels of different relief dissection compartments defined by Souza (2019) using the
Swath Profiler plug-in available for ArcGIS software, on digital elevation models and polylines
representing altimetric data of the relief and river courses, respectively. Results: The analysis
of Swath profiles allowed inferring that the relief pattern changes near the point that marks the
change in the local base level from the upstream dissection domain to the downstream domain. This
result indicates a change in topographic behavior and erosive potential between neighboring
dissection domains. Conclusion: The analysis of dissection domains through Swath profiles
reinforces the role of local
base levels in the evolutionary process of relief by inferring the difference in erosive potential
and topographic pattern between such domains.